Dragon Age: Origins

[blackheart]

Yes, I  mean the video game. Yes, I know Green Ronin has the pen-and-paper tabletop game coming out.

What I wanted to comment on was that for everything I see in this amazing game world and story background can easily be translated into FC.

Some might say that just means it's so generic that any translation would be easy.

I say it's because FC does exactly what it's susposed to: your game, your way.

Good job guys. Keep it coming.
My next campaign: Fantasy Craft: Dragon Age.

[Nepenthe]

I'm getting mine next week. but so far what I've seen of the world and the system (the first prequel novel and the Dragon Age Journeys browser game) makes me agree with your assessment. As usual, equipment will be the biggest hurdle, methinks.

[knight.errant]

Good job guys. Keep it coming.
My next campaign: Fantasy Craft: Dragon Age.

Feel free to share your notes 

Ever since I got the game I've been thinking the same thing. I'm especially curious to see how you'd handle magic and mages.

[Krensky]

Good job guys. Keep it coming.
My next campaign: Fantasy Craft: Dragon Age.

Feel free to share your notes 

Ever since I got the game I've been thinking the same thing. I'm especially curious to see how you'd handle magic and mages.

I'd start with Wild Magic and Corrupting Magic.

[Ferdinand Von Plat]

All you would really do is add Wild Magic and Corrupting Magic. From what we've seen so far there's religion but no divine magic, so no Miracles quality.

The races are largely the same, but you could make Heritage feats for not being born a commoner (Noble Heritage or some such). Then add in a bunch of new materials. Iron, Grey Iron, Steel, Cold Iron, etc.

[Sletchman]

All you would really do is add Wild Magic and Corrupting Magic. From what we've seen so far there's religion but no divine magic, so no Miracles quality.

The races are largely the same, but you could make Heritage feats for not being born a commoner (Noble Heritage or some such). Then add in a bunch of new materials. Iron, Grey Iron, Steel, Cold Iron, etc.

With the right path restrictions Miracles can cover templars nicely.  That or all templars are Monster Slayers with studies in Mages, Abominations, and Maleficars.

I think most of the Materials are more or less Superior [Red Steel] / Crude [Iron].

You could also come up wtih a list of spells that are off limit for being "blood magic" [Call From Beyond springs to mind], and require the player to become a maleficar to learn them, with attached social stigmas if people are away of it.

It could be as simple as:

Blood Magic Basics
Pre-Reqs: Lack of moral fibre.
Benefits: You gain the following spells [bla bla].  You also gain a trick.  You are Reviled by anyone who is aware you have this feat that doesn't also possess it.
Blood Magery [Spellcasting Trick]: When casting a spell you may inflict its spell level in wound damage to cast the spell without paying spellpoints.  This damage is never resisted by DR.

Blood Magic Mastery
Pre-Reqs: Blood Magic Basics.
Benefits: You gain some more spells.  Spells you cast with the Blood Magery trick are cast with +2 threat range.

Blood Magic Supremacy
Pre-Reqs: Blood Magic Master.
Benefits: More Spells. When you cast spells that are restricted to a type [such as charm spells] using your Blood Magery trick, you may ignore type restrictions.


Obviously thats a 2 second job, but just something I was thinking of while playing my DA with my Blood Mage / Spirit Healer.

[knight.errant]

With the right path restrictions Miracles can cover templars nicely.

What would you suggest? I'm still learning FC so any explanation here is appreciated.

That or all templars are Monster Slayers with studies in Mages, Abominations, and Maleficars.

This is a really good idea and for the most part works quite well. The only issue I forsee has to do with the Monster Slayer's Getting the Scent ability. It grants Spell Defense 20 or 30 vs. their target.
The effectiveness of this wears off as the MS encounters higher level threats. I haven't gotten very far in the game yet, but I would assume that the Templars ability to shrug off magical attacks would increase as he levels, not the other way around.

Any suggestions / comments for a way to capture the flavor of the Templar best?

[Sletchman]

I was more thinking like inventing a "Templar" alignment [because I like organisational alignments], and invent some paths that capture's the flavour you want, or use Protection and War if you favour less work.  Protection eventually provides some spell defence [you can cast Protection from Spells at the end], and War makes them able combatants and has some party aid abilities.

Skills could be: Athletics, Investigate, Search, Tactics.  For their weapon I'd go with a Sword [after all its on their armour - probably a long sword].  For the avatar I'd go with a Guardian Angel, but that could be changed to whatever you feel like.

In game Templars can produce an Anti-Magic field effect, but thats extremely potent for any character, so I'd limit that to either Step 5 for a priest path, or stick with the Monster Slayer as is, because its more balanced then giving soemthing immunity to magic, even if flavourwise they should have it.

[Daedalus]

This is a really good idea and for the most part works quite well. The only issue I forsee has to do with the Monster Slayer's Getting the Scent ability. It grants Spell Defense 20 or 30 vs. their target.
The effectiveness of this wears off as the MS encounters higher level threats. I haven't gotten very far in the game yet, but I would assume that the Templars ability to shrug off magical attacks would increase as he levels, not the other way around.

Any suggestions / comments for a way to capture the flavor of the Templar best?

Sorry, I'm not familiar with Dragon Age: Origins myself, but Spell Defense 30 allows the Monster Slayer to resist monster-based spells (Natural Spell) and Priest spells (possibly a devoted monster?) up to level 5 automatically(because the minimum DC to cast level 5 spells is 28) and might stack with other sources of spell defense, like Abide in Darkness, Brass Construction and Fire Elder.

  Just with the Spell Defense 30 from the class, they're immune to a host of effects that aren't found in higher level spells but are still annoying.  Granted that if the monster is an arcane spell caster (with what hands?) it diminishes in effectiveness, but for the most part, "monsters" use Natural Spell or Devoted to cast spells. 

If your GM isn't letting this ability come into play, he's being a jerk, TBH.  It should essentially be an XP tax for monsters, not a carte blanche to throw level 6 spells on their casting list "just because you can't resist them."

[Mister Andersen]

You'll notice that Fantasy Craft spells lack the vocal/somatic/material schema of SRD spells.

[knight.errant]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with Dragon Age: Origins myself, but Spell Defense 30 allows the Monster Slayer to resist monster-based spells (Natural Spell) and Priest spells (possibly a devoted monster?) up to level 5 automatically(because the minimum DC to cast level 5 spells is 28) and might stack with other sources of spell defense, like Abide in Darkness, Brass Construction and Fire Elder.

  Just with the Spell Defense 30 from the class, they're immune to a host of effects that aren't found in higher level spells but are still annoying.  Granted that if the monster is an arcane spell caster (with what hands?) it diminishes in effectiveness, but for the most part, "monsters" use Natural Spell or Devoted to cast spells. 

I'm new to FC, so it's quite possible that I don't understand the rules properly--but I think I've got this right. Let's see what the Keepers of FC say 

In the case of the Templars from DA, they are mage-hunters. This means that the majority of their targets would use the wizard from the rogues gallery. They have Spellcasting VII.
At level 8, this gives them a +16 to their Spellcasting checks.  If I understand Spell Defense 30 correctly, this means the wizard must roll a 14 (unless NPC's also get their INT mod bonus to the roll?) or better to defeat the Templars SD.

My point here is that as the Templar faces higher level threats (and increases in level), his Spell Defense becomes less effective, which seems counter intuitive to me.

[spinningdice]

Not having got that far into DA as yet. I'd say that surely the Spel Defence is a crutch - it's designed to let them shrug off lesser spells while they might have to use some tactics to avoid the bigger spells. At level 8 it would be well over 50% immunity with those stats above in mind, I think that's plenty.

[Antilles]

Also, the most annoying thing about templars from a mage perspective isn't so much their increased resistance to magic, it's that they got an ability that stuns mages and drains spell points. Spell Defense 30 is plenty when a couple templars can suck out 3/4 of a mage's spell points.

[knight.errant]

Not having got that far into DA as yet. I'd say that surely the Spel Defence is a crutch - it's designed to let them shrug off lesser spells while they might have to use some tactics to avoid the bigger spells. At level 8 it would be well over 50% immunity with those stats above in mind, I think that's plenty.

Point taken, and just for the record, I don't want them to be immune to all spells either, I'm just trying to understand the Spell Defense mechanics.

That said, I think I must be missing something. When a caster is trying to overcome SD, the level of the spell being cast is irrelevant, is it not? I thought it was their bonus to Spellcasting that determined if they could beat the target of 30.

[knight.errant]

Also, the most annoying thing about templars from a mage perspective isn't so much their increased resistance to magic, it's that they got an ability that stuns mages and drains spell points. Spell Defense 30 is plenty when a couple templars can suck out 3/4 of a mage's spell points.

Ouch.
That would be annoying to say the least. Is there anything in FC that might replicate the stealing of spell points?